Ferrari 348 Reviews

1993 Ferrari 348 TS / Series Speciale 3.4 V8 from North America

Summary:

We all get stuck in traffic... The difference is some of us get stuck in a Ferrari

Faults:

Had multiple CEL's. Fixed with new ECU and Gold mod kit.

Targa leaks in rain. Partially fixed by lubricating the seal.

Slow passenger window. Fixed with better ground wire placement.

Hard shift into second until the gear box comes up to temperature. The trick until then is to catch 2nd before the revs are down to 4k RPM. Or go from 1st to 3rd until warm.

Speedo stopped working. New sensor fixed that.

The guts from the catalytic on 1-4 rattled free... Went with Fabspeed bypass for the fix (and power boost).

Water pump went out, and old hoses leaked. SRI replaced both.

AC clutch failed... New bearing fixed it.

At 6'3 it's hard to see out past the low placement of the rear-view mirror. Fixed with a new DVR mirror/cam.

Impossible to see much out of the passenger side mirror, so I had a custom convex mirror made.

General Comments:

Take the above problems with a grain of salt. This has been my experience and I'm really nitpicking this car. Most of these problems existed when I purchased it. That said, I bought the car with a budget to upgrade it, and to have a major service done.

If you're on a budget, this is not likely a car for you. Or, if you see a super good deal, just know that it's likely due to deferred maintenance.

So far I've put an additional (gasp) 35k into it. And if you saw it you'd quickly be able to see why. Even for a 348, it is quite upgraded from a standard model and is uniquely mine. Other than the SS, the only other 348 that appealed to me was the GTS / GTB. I also waited over a year for this specific model (Series Speciale) to appear on the market (rare, at only 100 made).

This car for me has been a childhood dream come true, and is pretty much a daily driver.

The major service it's going thru as I type this is looking to be $13,500 (USD).

Without a few upgrades I'm doing to the motor as preventative maintenance, I expect my next major to be closer to $7,000.

Most of the work and upgrades I've done on the car myself. That said, I've hired specialists for other jobs outside my ability such as alignment, body work & paint, and of course the major service.

Money aside, the experience is unreal. The steering as others have commented on is unbelievable. I make the joke that if I were to drive over a dime, I could tell if it was heads or tails. With the front and rear spoilers, I've never felt the twitchiness at speed others have commented on. I also had the suspension corner load balanced and adjusted to proper ride height and inclination, with driver weight accounted for. This on 360 Modena wheels.

The final verdict? I don't have to worry about how it runs as a daily driver now that I've got it up to par. Oil, gas, tires and insurance should be all that's ahead of me. But like any other car, parts will age and fail. I budget accordingly. Parts and services? Take a reasonable cost and double it... Now add a zero. Yes, OEM Ferrari is expensive. Example: normal car side mirror... $125, double it (say for like a Mercedes or BMW) $250... Now add a zero. 2,500. I now dare you to check the cost of a USED 348 side mirror on Ebay. :)

Anyhow. It's an amazing looking car that is about 100 times more fun to drive than it looks. And they look amazing. The only other Ferrari I admire more is the 288 GTO.

So if I had to give advice to other buyers, have a budget to work with after the purchase, or have a garage and time to do work to it yourself.

For me though, no need to worry about resale value or miles, as it's not for sale. :)

1st Aug 2014, 23:54

Thank you for posting. My neighbor has a 348 TS, he inherited it from his father and is thinking of selling. My wife is terrified it will be a money pit, and you "kind of" confirm that. Being German, she thinks I should go Porsche (plus her brother works for them in Stuttgart). I am a traitor, I just love the appeal of the Ferrari, and like you, it is a dream. My neighbor is honest, it needs the engine out service, and he says it takes money. His car collection is out of this world. I hope it works for me. Again thanks for sharing!!!